Saturday, 24 September 2011

Looking for Lottie

Lottie M Hanney appeared in my life when I began researching my family history. I had a very unhappy childhood but my grandparents gave me my happy memories thankfully. So a few years ago I decided to trace back to my ancestors and gain a sense of family from that. On the 1891 census a Lottie Hanney appeared listed with the occupants of my great grandparents house in Bath, Somerset. She was 13 years old and described as a Nurse/Domestic and immediately I was intrigued. I then discovered her aged 3 classed as a visitor on the 1881 census in a house in Bath along with 2 adults in their early 20's. More research revealed her on a passenger list of a liner docked in Southampton that had departed from New York in 1904....Lottie was now a 26 year old woman. And then she disappeared....after searching for months I couldn't find her on any records. So fast forward to September 2011 and Lottie presented herself to me again in my dreams and in my thoughts and I began looking again. I found a little more information that there was a Hanney connection - my great grandmothers sister had married a Charles Hanney....but no mention of a Lottie.
I've painted her recently standing in a doorway....and found 4 old photographs of a very similar doorway of my great grandparents house in Bath...I couldn't believe how similar it was...black with stone pillars..just as I had depicted.

So here she is again.....created in pastels...if only she could give me the answers....I'm still looking for Lottie.

16 comments:

I love your painting and your story is so intriguing!! I've done genealogy research for about 20 years and I know what a challenge as well as how rewarding it can be. I hope you find more about Lottie.

Beautiful painting and even more interesting with ancestral connection. My mother is researching our family history too and has traced a line to Glasgow. I would love to travel there one day and walk where they walked. I hope you can find your Lottie.♥Jenny

Livvie, Your painting moved me as much as your story. Keep searching, I'm sure that your Lottie will continue to express her significance in your life. She has already begun... through this beautiful, emotive work of art.xo

About Me

My name is Livvie and I live in a little village in the UK. I work in Mental Health and love my job. I learnt to paint in 2004 beginning with decorative painting/folk art. Since then I have taken two teacher training programmes with leading US paint manufacturers and then continued to learn with online art workshops. I love to share my passion in my workplace and see people discover the amazing therapeutic value that art gives.